A Wisconsin brewery owner who once promised to celebrate President Donald Trump’s death by giving away free beer is discovering that government consequences are considerably less refreshing when they arrive at his own door.

Minocqua Brewing Company, owned by progressive activist Kirk Bangstad, is scheduled to lose its Wisconsin alcohol permit Aug. 4, according to the state Department of Revenue.

So, instead of preparing to distribute complimentary beverages in celebration of somebody else’s demise, Bangstad may soon be unable to distribute beverages at all.

The permit revocation follows a June raid in which Wisconsin officials seized canned beer from the company. Authorities allege the beer had been transported into Wisconsin from Illinois without the required permits or payment of applicable state taxes.

Apparently, “the state’s most progressive brewery” had progressed beyond such tedious formalities as complying with alcohol-transportation laws.

“The Wisconsin Division of Alcohol Beverages is dedicated to the fair and consistent enforcement of alcohol beverages regulations in Wisconsin,” the agency said in a statement.

Officials added that the division is required to enforce state law and ensure that permit holders follow all applicable regulations—which may have come as shocking news to a brewery whose business model increasingly appeared to include beer, political activism and the assumption that paperwork was somebody else’s problem.

Bangstad previously attracted attention by announcing a promotion promising free beer if Trump dies. Whatever one thinks of the president, publicly planning a celebratory drink special around another person’s death is generally an excellent way to establish yourself as the mature and compassionate participant in a political debate.

Now, in an irony strong enough to be served by the pint, Bangstad is asking supporters to help finance his legal defense.

In a July 26 newsletter, he vowed to battle Wisconsin officials over the decision.

“We’re going to fight the state of Wisconsin tooth and nail, and once again, they’ll have to pry me out of my taprooms before I stop selling beer to thirsty progressives who come to visit us,” Bangstad wrote.

That certainly sounds dramatic. Unfortunately for Bangstad, state alcohol regulators generally prefer permits, taxes and legal compliance to heroic speeches about being physically removed from a taproom.

To be clear, Wisconsin is not revoking the permit because Bangstad dislikes Trump or because he made an ugly political promotion. The state’s action concerns allegations that his company improperly transported beer across state lines without the necessary authorization and taxes.

But the resulting spectacle remains difficult to ignore: A man who built publicity around the prospect of somebody else’s death is now complaining bitterly because the government may be killing his ability to sell beer.

Bangstad says he intends to fight the revocation. Perhaps he will prevail in court, overturn the decision and return to selling politically branded beverages.

For now, however, the free beer will have to wait.

The permit may expire first.

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